The present invention relates to a tube dispenser with sponge applicator and specifically to a tube dispenser with sponge applicator that has a cover member to seal off the contents of the tube dispenser when not in use.
In the prior art, tube dispensers have been known, which serve as containers for a variety of substances. The substance may be dispensed from the container by deforming the container walls so as to force the contents of the container through an aperture at one end of the container. The most common tube dispenser of this type is a tube of toothpaste. In addition, tube dispensers have been provided which include an applicator device mounted around the aperture. When the contents of the tube are dispensed through the aperture, the applicator is then used to apply the contents of the tube to a desired surface.
For example, in the past, structures of the above described type have been used to apply a liquid dressing or polish to leather such as shown in Albert U.S. Pat. No. 2,870,471, Fagan U.S. Pat. No. 3,023,448 and Schultz et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,106,742. Other applicators which have been used in the prior art are again directed to the application of a liquid from the tube container to a surface such as shown in Schwartzman U.S. Pat. No. 3,565,294 and Johnson U.S. Pat. No. 3,811,783.
Hulsh U.S. Pat. No. 3,121,906 shows a similar tube applicator for dispensing and applying the contents of a container which are more viscus than those described in the patents referred to above. Specifically, the Hulsh patent relates to paste and viscus substances such as an oven cleaning composition. The present invention is more generally directed to a tube dispenser with sponge applicator of the type shown in the Hulsh patent in that it is more directly applicable to a paste-like substance and specifically a spackle compound used to fill holes in walls and ceilings prior to painting.
Also in the prior art are various devices used by plasterers to provide for the application of plaster material on a continuous basis such as shown in the Martin U.S. Pat. No. 2,864,109, the Anderson U.S. Pat. No. 2,882,716 and the Etens U.S. Pat. No. 3,368,234. These types of devices are directed to a different area than the present invention since they relate to the spreading of plaster material to much larger areas than would be practical with the present invention.
The devices of the prior art suffer from a number of deficiencies including complexity in construction and difficulty in reusing since the prior art devices are often poorly sealed once they have been opened. For example, the Hulsh patent has a snap-on cover which attaches to a portion of the sponge applicator assembly. Both the cover and sponge applicator are complicated in structure and thereby relatively expensive to produce. In addition, the cover seals so poorly that a separate closure cap must be used to seal off the contents of the tube container once the container has been opened and used.
Many of the other prior art patents include screw type covers which are again more complex in structure and would not provide for a good seal once the tube dispenser has been used. The Schwartzman patent also has a snap-on cap or cover which cooperates with a portion of the applicator structure and again is generally complex in construction and thereby expensive.